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Photo of Mo Hamza

Mo Hamza

Researcher

Photo of Mo Hamza

Refugee agency in secondary mobility decision-making : A systematic literature review

Author

  • Sinem Kavak
  • Mo Hamza
  • Thomas Gammeltoft Hansen
  • Russell Stone

Summary, in English

Decisions made by millions of refugees about where to go, how to make a living and how to secure a future are fundamental drivers of secondary movements. While a substantial body of literature addresses factors contributing to migrants’ decision-making, a comprehensive understanding of the central role of refugees in secondary mobility decision-making, including agency and strategies employed, remains underexplored. This is partly due to the belief that refugees are constrained by external and structural factors and cannot exercise agency, which we challenge. This article provides a systematic analysis of the literature on refugees’ secondary mobility decision-making processes. Using a systematic literature review (SLR) methodology, it presents an in-depth analysis of 40 peer-reviewed, English-language research articles selected from the Web of Science and Scopus databases published before September 2022. The article critically examines the drivers, prevailing dichotomies and conceptual frameworks surrounding refugee categorization, agency, and mobility. By synthesizing a wide range of literature, our paper presents emerging alternative concepts and frameworks that shed light on the complex dynamics of decision-making.

Department/s

  • Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
  • LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
  • Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES)
  • LU Profile Area: Human rights
  • MECW: The Middle East in the Contemporary World
  • Division of Risk Management and Societal Safety

Publishing year

2024-06-18

Language

English

Publication/Series

Frontiers in Human Dynamics

Volume

6

Document type

Journal article review

Publisher

Frontiers Media S. A.

Topic

  • International Migration and Ethnic Relations

Keywords

  • agency
  • decision-making
  • immobility
  • mobility
  • refugee

Status

Published

Project

  • Refugee Decision Making in First Country of Asylum

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2673-2726